Your kids might not want to hear this, but summer break is the best time for parents to start preparing them for the new school year, according to a D.C. physician.
Dr. Anisha Abraham, who specializes in adolescent medicine at Children’s National Hospital, said families should start scheduling back-to-school physicals now during the summer months.
“This is an important time to book those checkups and make sure your kids get in for their school physicals or sports physicals,” she said, and check that vaccinations are up to date.
“Things can get busy at your provider’s office, so ensuring that you schedule now will go a long way to making sure that you have a successful start to the school year,” she said.
In addition to their vaccines and physicals, parents should also be mindful of their children’s mental health.
For students feeling anxious about the start of a new school year, Abraham said it can be helpful to connect them with classmates or teammates ahead of the first day of school.
“It’s normal to feel nervous or anxious about something when it’s new,” she said. She added to make sure that you “also reach out to your healthcare provider if you’re concerned that your child or teenager is particularly nervous or anxious about that change,” as that can help put them at ease now.
She also recommends that parents keep checking in with kids or teens, particularly during times of transition.
“For some young people, they may be starting new schools. For others, it might be a time of transition if they’re going to high school or to college. Just really ensuring that they’re doing well, they’re getting that support, they’re addressing all of those coping skills that they need,” Abraham said.”
Another way to set them up for success is to start transitioning them out of their summertime sleep schedule a few weeks early.
“Many kids may sleep in late, they may not have that structure. But certainly in a couple of weeks, we’ll be back in school,” Abraham said. “So just being aware of that and starting to put those schedules back into place can be really helpful.”
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